EDUCATION RESOURCE
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
‘The China Project’ is a three-part display that considers contemporary Chinese
art practice.
‘Three Decades: The Contemporary Chinese Collection’ presents around 140
extraordinary works by 40 contemporary Chinese artists from the 1980s to the
present, drawing primarily from the Queensland Art Gallery Collection.
‘Zhang Xiaogang: Shadows in the Soul’ is an exhibition by one of China’s most
eminent painters.
‘William Yang: Life Lines’ highlights Australia’s long and complex migrant
history with its northern neighbour, China.
Together these displays present three unique points of view on contemporary
Chinese art in its richest and most engaging forms.
WILLIAM YANG
‘I have the advantage that people identify me as being
Chinese, so I can tell a more convincing story because
of the way I look. I’ve managed to turn that around to
my advantage if I’m telling a Chinese story. I’m
Australian, I identify as being Australian; it’s like a
disguise that I’m being Chinese and people believe
me. I can certainly tell that story about my Australian–
Chinese family, and I think I’ve told most aspects of it.
I realised quite early in the piece that I only have one
story, and I have to keep reinventing it from a different
angle.’
William Yang, quoted in Russell Storer, ‘A
conversation with William Yang’, in The China Project
[exhibition catalogue], Queensland Art Gallery,
Brisbane, 2009, p.263.
William Yang
Working design for Life lines 2009
WILLIAM YANG CONTINUED
‘Usually I find there is one best way of saying something.
It has to do with the order of the information presented
and it’s always the shortest statement. It takes time and
spoken repetition to arrive at this. Because photographs
are a mechanical thing, when I write on a photograph, that
gives it my personal imprint, that identifies it as one of my
photographs.’
William Yang, quoted in Russell Storer, ‘A conversation
with William Yang’, in The China Project [exhibition
catalogue], Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, 2009,
p. 267.
William Yang
Self-portrait #2, 1947 (from
‘GoMA self-portrait’ series) 2008
William Yang
William in scholar’s costume, 1984 (from
‘GoMA self-portrait’ series) 2008
ACTIVITIES
•
William Yang’s photographs document the artist’s personal journey as he deals with
questions of place, history and belonging. If you were to chart your individual history
from early childhood to the present, what personal items and photographs would you
include?
•
Think about some stories you remember from your childhood. Record one of these
on an audiotape. Attempt to retell the story through computer art, video or installation.
In the classroom, display your creation with the audio playing.
HU YANG
‘Hu Yang’s ‘Shanghai living’ is both a record of the lives
and personalities of the people who inhabit Shanghai
and a reflection of the emerging city itself.’
‘Hu Yang’, in The China Project [exhibition catalogue],
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, 2009, p.155.
‘Shanghai is rather an “interior” city. Only by plunging deep
into the interiority — Shanghai people’s homes — can we
truly know this city’s spiritual life.’
Zhang Hong, ‘Image utopia’, in Shanghai Living
[exhibition catalogue], ShanghART Gallery, Shanghai,
China, 2005, p.5.
Hu Yang
‘Shanghai living’ series (details) 2004–05
ACTIVITY
•
Consider the look and feel of your home environment (i.e. the objects,
furniture, colour scheme). How is your home a reflection of your personality
and cultural heritage? Which material objects would you choose to
represent your home?
XU BING
Academic and author Souchou Yao writes:
Turning [back] to the fidelity of form gives Chinese calligraphy
new life. All too aware of the repressive horrors which Chinese
classical culture often represented, Xu Bing’s move has been to
enact the dialectic promise of text. And this enactment takes
Chinese viewers back to the first moment of (self discovery: the
tedium and delight of writing, the discipline and reward of
mastering the ‘art of text’ (shu fa) and, imperceptibly, the
emergence of a sensibility in which words and texts assume a
primary importance.
Yu Youhan, interview with Francis Maravillas in Shanghai Star
[exhibition catalogue], Casula Powerhouse, Sydney, 2007, p.69.
Xu Bing
A book from the sky (detail) 1987–91
XU BING CONTINUED
Xu Bing
A book from the sky (installation view) 1987–91
ACTIVITY
•
Calligraphy is the act of writing as a form of contemplation or meditation.
Look at some examples of traditional calligraphy. It is usually read from the
top to bottom rather than the usual Western idea of left to right. Experiment
with vertical and horizontal reading in your own art making. Document your
experimentations in your art journal.
GUAN WEI
Guan Wei
Echo 2005
Guan Wei
Echo (detail) 2005
Guan Wei states that:
[T]he aesthetic value of such a famous Chinese intellectual painting is the harmony between nature and humankind, as well as the abstract
expression of the individual’s spiritual pursuits. However, when Captain Cook and his soldiers emerge from the wild seascape into such
harmony, their courage and ambitious heroism is immediately swallowed and diminished. In fact, in such a scene, these historical European
heroes become more like a group of brutal bandits.
Guan Wei, Echo [exhibition catalogue], Sherman Galleries, Sydney, 2006, unpaginated.
ACTIVITIES
•
In Echo 2005 we see the way Guan Wei presents the perspective of those
who were affected by Captain Cook’s discovery of Australia. Think about an
issue in Australian life where a minority group has limited power to present
their side of history to the broader community. Choose to research the
stories of one of the following: refugees, Indigenous groups, prisoners, or
the homeless. Refer to books, magazines, newspapers or internet
resources for your research.
•
Once you have an understanding of the issue, think about the sorts of visual
imagery that you could use to present their story. Record these ideas in
your art journal. Use this information as the basis for developing an art work
that has social activism as one of its goals.
CAI GUO-QIANG
‘Cai often pursues his experiments through the medium of fire and
the phenomenon of explosion. He believes that fire was the
original element that formed the universe, a nodal point in the
development of human civilisation, and is hence the original and
universal medium that links mankind and the cosmos.’
Miyatake Hiroshi, ‘The earth has its black hole too’, in Asian Art
Now: Creativity in Asian Art Now: Part 3: Asian Installation Work
[exhibition catalogue], Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary
Art and Asahi Shimbun, Hiroshima, 1994, p.9.
‘… fire grasps the duality of creation and destruction, in all its
universal aspects.’
‘Li Zhensheng’, in The China Project [exhibition catalogue],
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, 2009, p.109.
Cai Guo-Qiang
Dragon or Rainbow Serpent: A myth glorified or feared (drawings). Project for
extraterrestrials no.26 1996
CAI GUO-QIANG CONTINUED
Gunpowder in Cai’s hands . . . ‘becomes a
method of describing, displaying and
experiencing the world. It can refer to the
mushroom cloud of the nuclear test site and
at the same time present the gaiety of
celebratory rituals, symbolizing reanimation
and rebirth. When Cai detonates different
explosion events specifically conceived for
different sites and subjects around the
world, gunpowder no longer serves as a
symbol of Chinese civilization and even less
as a decorative feature of an exotic land’.
Wang Hui, ‘The dialectics of art and the
event’, in Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe,
p.47.
Cai Guo-Qiang
Dragon or Rainbow Serpent: A myth glorified or feared (drawings). Project for extraterrestrials no.26 1996
ACTIVITIES
•
What images does the word ‘fire’ conjure up in your mind?
•
Research the element of fire and what it means to different cultures. How
does a detailed understanding of the symbolic messages within Cai GuoQiang’s work help you to gain a more complete understanding of the work?
THE ECONOMICS OF PORCELAIN
‘That Tse’s porcelain pieces possess a sense of their
former use is important to her: the socks are worn thin
at the toes with a hole apparent in one foot, and the
embroidered sweaters appear shapeless and almost in
tatters. Tse’s choice of garments is crucial.’
‘Sara Tse’, in The China Project [exhibition catalogue],
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, 2009, p.175.
‘A dress, like a house or a film, is both lived and
loved. Clothes exhibit the consumption of the living: like
the furniture we use, they “wear” the marks of life.’
Sara Tse, artist statement, <www.artbeatus.com/english.
html>, viewed 18 February 2005.
Sara Tse
Dress no. 68 2003
THE ECONOMICS OF PORCELAIN CONTINUED
‘While the choice of commonplace and often
mass-produced objects as subject matter is crucial
— because they are derived from, and represent,
a culture of consumption — Ni Haifeng’s porcelain
objects are also beautiful. Exquisitely cast and
decorated with blue floral patterns, they are
transformed from everyday utensils into objects
of desire.’
‘Ni Haifeng’, in The China Project [exhibition
catalogue], Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, 2009,
p.169.
Ni Haifeng
Of the departure and the arrival 2005
ACTIVITY
•
How do Tse and Beynon’s work challenge the reverence for objects made
from porcelain? What do their objects resemble, and what do these reveal
about our throwaway culture?
KATE BEYNON
‘In recounting ancient folk tales and parables,
Beynon uses media that accentuate their
translation and re-telling in a contemporary,
urban context.’
‘Kate Beynon’, in The China Project [exhibition
catalogue], Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane,
2009, p.107.
Kate Beynon
Baby 1999
Kate Beynon
Expecting 1999
ACTIVITIES
•
What aspects of identity for Asian–Australian females are explored through
the warrior girl ‘Li Ji’?
•
How does the artist use this character to confront issues of racism?
LUO BROTHERS
‘Untitled (Children with lemonade bottle) 2000 depicts
five children riding a commercially produced lemonade
bottle against a background of a rising sun and
Tiananmen Square — itself a signifier of the
tumultuous events surrounding the 1989 protests.’
‘Luo Brothers’, in The China Project [exhibition
catalogue], Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, 2009,
p.165.
Luo Brothers
Untitled (Children with lemonade bottle) 2000
ACTIVITIES
•
Locate an image of the traditional iconography — the New Year Print or
nianhua which the Luo Brothers have manipulated digitally to create their
‘Untitled’ works.
•
Discuss the role that visual art plays in redefining cultural domination and
power relationships. How has this been achieved by the Luo Brothers’
work? How does their chosen media further communicate these ideas?
•
Research the Tiananmen Square massacre. Can you identify some of the
events in China’s history which contributed to this?
FANG LIJUN
‘For Fang, the individual is ultimately a lone
figure, morally disempowered and forced to act
out false gestures.’
‘Fang Lijun’, in The China Project [exhibition
catalogue], Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane,
2009, p.117.
Fang Lijun
980810 1998
ACTIVITIES
•
Why has Fang pictured the man yawning in the painting 980810 1998? How
does this work provide insight into significant political issues associated with
communist China?
•
Consider the symbolism behind the rootless blossoms that sail through the
sky in light of the quote, ‘Let a hundred flowers bloom. Let a hundred
schools of thought contend’ (Mao Zedong). In his painting, what
contradictions about Chinese politics does Fang address?
SONG DONG
‘One of the strengths of Song Dong’s art is its ability to give ordinary acts and themes a wider resonance. Taking traditional and domestic rituals
such as cooking, the stamping of wax seals and calligraphic writing, Song Dong converts them into meditative personal gestures that highlight the
importance of time and memory in contemporary living.’
‘Song Dong‘, in The China Project [exhibition catalogue], Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, 2009, p.127.
Song Dong
Stamping the water 1996
Song Dong
Walking through the mirror (still) 2002
ACTIVITIES
•
What seemingly ordinary events or daily activities construct and regulate
who you are and your place in the world? Share these with your
classmates. Do you notice any similarities?
•
When you visit the exhibition, discuss the effect films without dialogue such
as Walking through the mirror 2002 have on an audience.
AH XIAN
‘In this sculpture, Ah Xian uses the lotus flower as his
decorative motif. Closely associated with Chinese
Buddhism and Taoism, the lotus is rich with symbolism,
representing spiritual unfolding, purity and awakening
leading to the state of nirvana or eternal bliss. In
addition, the lotus is associated with aspects of the
divine within humanity. This serene, nude figure is
adorned with blossoms on her cheek, shoulder, breast,
abdomen and thigh, suggesting an overall sense of
adoration, with the blooms and stems reaching around
and embracing the figure. Bliss, harmony and stillness
are personified in this sculpture, invoking the finer
aspects of human nature.’
‘Ah Xian’, in The China Project [exhibition catalogue],
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, 2009, p.143.
Ah Xian
Human human – lotus, cloisonné figure 1 2000–01
ACTIVITIES
•
Ah Xian was born and raised in China but now lives in Australia. What is it
about his work that differentiates Ah Xian from the other Chinese artists in
the exhibition? What elements of his practice clearly identify the artist with
China?
•
Can you trace the trends of Chinese migration to Australia? What were the
reasons for their migration?
ZHANG XIAOGANG
‘While the title suggests a rebirth, the fragmentary nature of this imagery
indicates a darker, more sober environment, poignantly illustrating the
denial of culture and knowledge as a result of the 1989 military
crackdown, and recalling the cultural desecration authorised by Mao
Zedong during the Cultural Revolution.’
‘Zhang Xiaogang’, in The China Project [exhibition catalogue],
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, 2009, p. 99.
Zhang Xiaogang
Reincarnation 1989
ZHANG XIAOGANG CONTINUED
‘Through his portrayal of families,
and the landscapes surrounding them,
the artist presents a unique modern
culture, linking the individual intimately
to history, memory and the ideology of
the past. Zhang Xiaogang’s art allows us
the opportunity to establish a new level
of understanding of what underlies
contemporary Chinese life and how
the past influences the present.’
Leng Lin, ‘Zhang Xiaogang: Shadows in
the soul’, in The China Project [exhibition
catalogue], Queensland Art Gallery,
Brisbane, 2009, p. 201.
Zhang Xiaogang
Big family no.4 (from ‘Bloodline: The big family’
series) 2007
ACTIVITIES
•
What Western art influences can you see in Reincarnation 1989?
•
The paintings in Zhang’s ‘Bloodline: The big family’ series contain lines and
splotches on the subject’s faces. What do these imply?
•
A lot of Zhang’s work aims to recover the lost memory of China’s political
history. What moments or objects trigger particular memories about events
in your life?
REFLECTIONS
•
Now that you’ve investigated some of the artists in ‘The China Project’,
engage in a class debate about how important it is for Australian students to
study Chinese art.
•
Start a blog or twitter describing your visit to ‘The China Project’. How would
you encourage or promote the exhibition to your friends, or other students
your age? What new things about China did you gain from visiting the
exhibition?
LIST OF WORKS
William Yang
Australia b.1943
Working design for Life lines 2009
Site-specific work for ‘The China Project’
Courtesy: The artist
William Yang
Self-portrait #2, 1947 (from
‘GoMA self-portrait’ series) 2008
Digital print, ed. 2/30 / 84 x 50cm /
Collection: The artist
William in scholar’s costume, 1984 (from ‘GoMA
self-portrait’ series) 2008
Digital print, ed. 1/20 / 94.5 x 62.7cm /
Collection: The artist
Hu Yang
China b.1959
‘Shanghai living’ series (details) 2004–05
Type C photographs, ed. 5/8
Purchased 2006. The Queensland Government’s Gallery of
Modern Art Acquisitions Fund / Collection: Queensland Art
Gallery
Xu Bing
China/United States b.1955
A book from the sky (detail) 1987–91
Woodblock print, wood, leather, ivory / 4 banners: 103 x 6 x
8.5cm (each, folded); 19 boxes: 49.2 x 33.5 x 9.8cm (each,
containing 4 books) The Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection
of Contemporary Asian Art.
Purchased 1994 with funds from the International Exhibitions
Program and with the assistance of The Myer Foundation and
Michael Simcha Baevski through the Queensland Art Gallery
Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Xu Bing
A book from the sky (installation view) 1987–91
Woodblock print, wood, leather, ivory / 4 banners:
103 x 6 x 8.5cm (each, folded); 19 boxes: 49.2 x 33.5 x 9.8cm
(each, containing 4 books)
The Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection of Contemporary
Asian Art. Purchased 1994 with funds from the International
Exhibitions Program and with the assistance of The Myer
Foundation and Michael Simcha Baevski through the
Queensland Art Gallery Foundation
Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Guan Wei
China/Australia b.1957
Echo 2005
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas
42 panels: 273 x 722cm (overall)
Purchased 2006. The Queensland Government’s
Gallery of Modern Art Acquisitions Fund
Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Guan Wei
Echo (detail) 2005
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas
42 panels: 273 x 722cm (overall)
Purchased 2006. The Queensland Government’s
Gallery of Modern Art Acquisitions Fund
Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Cai Guo-Qiang
China/Japan/United States b.1957
Dragon or Rainbow Serpent: A myth glorified or feared
(drawings).
Project for extraterrestrials no.26 1996
Spent gunpowder and Indian ink on Japanese paper /
9 drawings: 300 x 200cm (each); 300 x 1800cm (overall) /
Purchased 1996
Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Cai Guo-Qiang created the work Dragon or Rainbow
Serpent: A myth glorified or feared (drawings). Project
for extraterrestrials no.26
for APT2 in Brisbane in 1996.
Sara Tse
Hong Kong b.1974
Dress no. 68 2003
Porcelain, fabric dipped in slip and fired
Purchased 2004. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Grant
Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Ni Haifeng
China/Netherlands b.1964
Of the departure and the arrival 2005
Porcelain, handpainted / 66 objects: dimensions variable /
Purchased 2007. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Grant
Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Kate Beynon
Australia/Hong Kong b.1970
Baby 1999
Gouache and ink / 76 x 56.3cm
Purchased 1999 under the Contemporary Art Acquisition Program with
funds from John Dimitriou Architects Pty Ltd through the Queensland
Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Kate Beynon
Expecting 1999
Gouache and ink / 76 x 56.3cm
Purchased 1999 under the Contemporary Art Acquisition
Program with funds from John Dimitriou Architects Pty Ltd through the
Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art
Gallery
Luo Brothers
China b.1963/1964/1972
Untitled (Children with
lemonade bottle) 2000
Collage and lacquer on board / 65 x 55 x 2.3cm
Purchased 2001. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation
Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Fang Lijun
China b.1963
980810 1998
Oil on canvas / 250 x 360cm
The Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection of Contemporary Asian
Art. Purchased 2000 with funds from The Myer Foundation, a project
of the Sidney Myer Centenary Celebration 1899–1999, through the
Queensland Art Gallery Foundation
Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Song Dong
China b.1966
Stamping the water 1996
Type C photographs, ed. 1/4
Purchased 2002. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation
Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Ah Xian
China/Australia b.1960
Human human – lotus, cloisonné figure 1 2000–01
Hand-beaten copper, finely enamelled in the cloisonné
technique / 158 x 55.5 x 32cm /
Purchased 2002. The Queensland Government’s
Gallery of Modern Art Acquisitions Fund
Zhang Xiaogang
China b.1958
Reincarnation 1989
Pencil, ink and oil on paper mounted on cloth / 76.6 x 53.3cm /
Purchased 2007. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Grant
Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Zhang Xiaogang
Big family no.4 (from ‘Bloodline: The big family’ series) 2007
Oil on canvas / 229 x 300cm
Collection: Droga 8 Collection (The Collection of Daniel and
Lyndell Droga)
This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright
Act 1968, no part may be reproduced without prior written permission from
the publisher. Copyright for texts in this publication is held by the
Queensland Art Gallery and the authors. Copyright for all art works and
images is held either by their creators or their representatives, unless
otherwise stated.
© Queensland Art Gallery 2009